Clockwise from the top: The ground floor of Soefer's live-work loft features exposed brick and an open entertaining area. Osborne & Little wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. The airy kitchen. Stairs lead up to the comfy second-floor lounge. Just above: The top floor master bedroom touts original midcentury lamps and artwork by Arnold Newman and others. Opposite page: Julie Soefer on her third floor patio, and a peek into the guest bedroom. less

Clockwise from the top: The ground floor of Soefer's live-work loft features exposed brick and an open entertaining area. Osborne & Little wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. The airy kitchen. Stairs ... more

Photo: Julie Soefer, Style Home Soefer

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Clockwise from the top: The ground floor of Soefer's live-work loft features exposed brick and an open entertaining area. Osborne & Little wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. The airy kitchen. Stairs lead up to the comfy second-floor lounge. Just above: The top floor master bedroom touts original midcentury lamps and artwork by Arnold Newman and others. Opposite page: Julie Soefer on her third floor patio, and a peek into the guest bedroom. less

Clockwise from the top: The ground floor of Soefer's live-work loft features exposed brick and an open entertaining area. Osborne & Little wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. The airy kitchen. Stairs ... more

Julie Soefer grew up in Houston and spent years in Manhattan, studying photography at New York University and working for her mentor, Arnold Newman. She loved where her career was headed and the energy of the city, but she longed for more space than her tiny East Village apartment could provide.

Hopeful her two worlds would converge, she returned home to find an East Coast style loft with Texas proportions. "I dreamed of living in a loft when I was in New York," she says. "I had this vision a long time ago, and I had an idea it would happen in Houston."

The photographer found her 2,700-square-foot, three-story space in a converted dry-cleaning warehouse in Montrose. It's a true loft with no doors, except on the three bathrooms, 30-foot ceilings, red-brick walls and exposed beams and piping. It was love at first sight, and Soefer, 31, didn't hesitate to buy the property in 2007. "I had to live here."

She moved in with her beloved cockapoo Leo, and immediately began working from home - without ever really making it cozy. "I didn't change any fixtures, and I didn't have enough furniture to fill the space," she recalled.

But as a chance assignment shooting for interior designers paved the way to a new business niche for Soefer, it also was the catalyst for transforming her industrial space into a warm, inviting home. Spending time among local design minds such as Karen Pulaski, Laura Umansky and Chandos Dodson gave her a new appreciation for their process - and she started feeling the itch to put her signature on her own house. "How you live is such a reflection of who you are," says Soefer, who also shoots for Houston magazine and the Wall Street Journal, and whose work can be seen at Barbara Davis Gallery through Jan. 5. "It's another way to show off your creativity, and a good interior designer can consider your house and personal style and build on that."

So Soefer partnered with Umansky and Kristina Wilson from design firm Laura U to put the "live" into her live-work space - part of a former warehouse revamped a decade ago into a 10-unit complex with sprawling interiors and enviable views of downtown.

The collaboration comes to life on the ground floor, where a bold black-and-white striped rug from Crate & Barrel pops off the polished concrete floors in Soefer's open photo studio. It lays the groundwork for a vintage-meets-mod sitting area comprised of her grandfather's Norman Cherner Elbow chairs, a pair of dark gray wing chairs (a Salvation Army find, reupholstered and painted by Brian Joseph) and her original sofa, recovered in light gray, Leo-friendly commercial-grade fabric. "I like the combination of old and new, and I like buying old things and making them new," she says.

A white George Nelson pendant bubble lamp is at the center of the seating, suspended over a glass cocktail table with two square ottomans tucked underneath. On an adjacent wall, several black picture ledges displaying framed examples of Soefer's work -which were sitting on the floor, pre-redesign - punctuate exposed brick and help personalize the room.

The space is also home to her custom, spindle-legged dining room table - designed by Wilson and crafted by Joseph - as well as four yellow Gideon Kramer Ion chairs from Reeves Antiques. Just beyond, a floating staircase helps carve out a charming reading nook with an ivory day bed and a glass bookshelf. On the other side of the wall, the powder room is a source of pride for the homeowner, who painted its royal blue tiles dark gray to match the richly hued Osborne & Little koi wallpaper. "Kristina had a 'let's just paint it, we don't have to get rid of it' attitude," Soefer says.

At the top of the stairs, a neutral palette offset by splashes of color and rich textures create the lounge-y second-floor sanctuary. "This open landing was an interesting space to work with," Soefer says. "It's more geared to me lounging and watching television than working, and I wanted the most comfortable couch ever."

Again, she looked to Wilson's design prowess to draft a custom suede sectional - built for the space by Joseph. She upped the swank factor with a retro sideboard and coffee table from Ladco Design Center and a gold Harry Allen pig bank from Areaware. Soefer and Wilson injected color with yellow paint on a midcentury side table; red velvet pillows from West Elm; an electric orange Cantoni drum lamp shade; and a few gallery-size Soefer photos from a trip to India. "This is where I spend the most time," she says.

Two additional staircases, one flanking either side of the lounge, lead to each of the bedrooms. The gray-walled guest room boasts a pair of hot-pink, lacquered night stands topped with shapely white lamps from Target and a large abstract painting in shades of turquoise and gold behind the bed.

On the opposite side of the loft, the third-floor master bedroom and bath is the pièce de résistance with a patio larger than Soefer's entire East Village apartment. Facing her bed, there's a collage wall of original photography she's been collecting for years, including Arnold Newman, Keith Carter and Andrew Eccles. "These are photographers that I have learned from and respect," she says. "I want that wall to grow."

Wilson and Soefer sought to add personality and unexpected texture to the bedroom with a bold contrast of wallpapers - in black and gold on one wall, and a graphic, mostly white pattern from Osborne & Little encasing two Ikea nightstands. A pair of five-bulb midcentury lamps from Reeves Antiques sits on either side of the white, king-size bed, and adds to the tangible quality of the room. A mirrored, high-gloss black credenza from Reeves serves as a dresser and underscores the painting by Bui Huu Hung, which Soefer purchased in Vietnam, that hangs above it.

Though the original goal was to make it a live and work space, Soefer says her home makeover changed her whole perspective. "I hit a point where I wanted to live here more than I wanted to shoot here," says the photographer, who's currently looking for separate studio.

"I love living in Houston. I know I wouldn't have this for a second in New York."